Stranded commuters walk down line

Frustration among a group London commuters, left stranded on a train and not told what was going on, finally got the better of them when about 30 jumped on to the line to walk the short distance to their home station.

They admitted later that one stumble could have resulted in serious burns or even worse but said they had just "had enough".

First, half a dozen or so leapt down from the train into the dark to start walking - only a couple of feet from the 750-volt power rail.

Then others from the 6.35pm London Bridge to West Croydon service opened the slam doors and joined in until the queue of commuters walking the tracks was more than 30.

They included girls in high heels who had somehow negotiated the steep jump from the train which they only later learned had been stranded due to leaves on the line.

One of the group, computer analyst Johnnie Davies, 36, said: "I know it was foolhardy and we put our lives at risk but we just wanted to get home and frustrations just boiled over. The train was packed and there were people standing. It came to a stop at about 6.50pm. We stayed there for about 15 minutes with no explanation. Then the driver announced we would not be moving again until 7.25pm. But that was all he said. People were getting very restless and we knew we were near to the next station, Honor Oak Park, where I live.

"The driver then came on to say he was reversing back to the previous station, Brockley, again without saying why. At this point, a group of people decided they had had enough. We all just wanted to get home, we were thoroughly fed up, particularly with not being told what was going on.

"They opened the doors and jumped out on to the track. I was in the second group. I have never done anything like this before. But the thought of waiting to reverse then waiting to share a cab home was simply not on the agenda.

"It was without doubt dangerous but the majority kept themselves as far from the tracks as possible. Some walked between the tracks and very close to the live rail. I would not have done that. The police had obviously been called and, as we emerged on to the Honor Oak Park platforms, one walked by me without saying anything. A journey which would normally have taken me some 15 minutes ended up with me taking my life in my hands and lasting one and a half hours."

A spokesman for the South Central train company, taken over by transport-group Govia from Connex said: "We apologise to passengers for the long delays they suffered. This was due to slippery conditions caused by leaves on the lines. But this was not a sensible thing for passengers to do. They risked their lives. Because these passengers left the train, the power had to be turned off which delayed other commuters, including those they had left behind on their train, for a further 20 minutes."

The spokesman said an earlier train had come to a halt because it was slipping on leaves. A second train behind was then backed up to try and push it forward.

But the two trains were different types and not compatible to join up so there were further delays while a special coupler was delivered from a depot.